Field of the Invention
The recent advancements in 3-D printing technology, in combination with the substantial reduction in cost of acquiring the technology, have provided consumers with increased access to the ability to fabricate and/or manufacture products right in their own homes. However, because of the ease at which digital information may be copied and reproduced, any digital designs or instructions sent to the consumer's location for fabrication may be easily captured and stored for later use by the consumer without further authorization of the company that provided the digital designs or instructions. Moreover, such digital designs or instructions may even be distributed freely across the Internet for download by anyone and, consequently, fabricated or manufactured for only the cost of the raw materials and the fabrication systems.
Description of Related Art
The drawbacks to the dissemination of fabrication design data pose concerns to those companies seeking to offset their manufacturing costs and/or deliver products to the consumer without physically manufacturing them, by providing digital designs and instructions directly to the consumers for desktop fabrication. Accordingly, an improved system and method is needed to ensure that any digital designs or instructions provided to the consumer may be accessed in accordance with the desires and limitations of the company providing those digital designs or instructions.